Stopped by as I was working my way back to Spokane after a visit with family in Olympia. I'd tried to go here last time I was in the area, and at thta time they didn't open until 4PM, I believe. Nowadays they open at 11AM, which is much nicer for those coming into or leaving town earlier than that.

Located literally at the west end of Highway 18, 99 Bottles is located in the near-corner of a strip mall filled with various uninspiring corporate entities - truly a diamond in the rough!

Lots of coolers of beer on the left side of the store. Shelves with un-chilled beer are at the rear. The lighting is sufficiently muted to cancel any worries about beer being light-struck. By the cashier station is a growler station. I was going to be driving about 300 miles, plus there was nothing I just had to have on-tap that day, so I declined getting a growler fill, but I could very well make use of it next time I come over if there's something my brother, his wife and I all could live with.

I strictly limited myself to what I could not get at home...and walked out with 8 bottles of beer, mostly IPAs (I'm a bit of a hop head and had spent 3 1/2 days with people who are not) that were locally brewed , plus an imported porter from Israel because I'd never seen a beer from there and was curious. Prices were very reasonable - I'd picked up a bottle of Fat at a grocery store in Olympia that morning and saw it at 99 Bottles for nearly a dollar cheaper.

Recently moved to the Tacoma area and this is obviously THE place for outstanding craft beer. The rating is well deserved.

I haven't lived in the area that long but I'm guessing if it's bottled 99 bottles gets it.

The selection is outstanding, the layout is fantastic and the service friendly and knowledgeable. It actually reminds me a lot of West Lake View Liquors in Chicago with the wood shelving, hand written tags, and beers that you don't expect to see peering out at you around every corner.

What's extra cool is that they do growler fills and seemingly always have something from Boneyard on tap (though truth be told, I'm not really a fan). Still, this is easily my go to bottle shop.

I don't live in Washington, but my son goes to college in Seattle. When picking him up from school, we had dinner with family in Federal and happened to see 99 Bottles. Nirvana! I had only ten minutes before closing, but they provided great recommendations on local beers. Wonderful selection. Clean. Well laid out. Just wish they had one in Bay Area!

I've been down to 99 Bottles two or three times and they are a great little bottle shop. Huge selection, clean space, helpful staff, reasonable prices. I think some beers hang around there longer than other spots. Overall a must-visit if you're anywhere near Federal Way.

Awesome selection at 99 Bottles! As other commented, staff isn't the most welcoming. You shop at your own pace but they are nice. Wish they offered more growler fill options. They offer tastings but I've never attended. This is your best option for finding craft beer south of Seattle.

Warmed up to the place since my initial review. Was irked by the service I received from one of the employees and left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth (looking at some of the other reviews, this appears to have happened to others as well). They keep a very good stock, but be prepared to wait in line before the store opens for rare releases. Tiffany does do a good job keeping the website updated, posting pictures, answering questions, and putting out info in the craft beer world. They do an annual cellar sale which has some vintage rarities as well. Overall, not my thing. I can’t justify the trip down personally, but I can understand the hype, and have stopped in when I am in the area.

A: I'd probably own stock in this place by now if they went public with an IPO. Walking in it's usually busy, all hours unless you catch them as soon as doors open. So do not be alarmed if they don't immediately greet you. The place is cozy and casual, plenty of light, good vibe, lots of local support and smaller weekly events make this a great beer destination. Overall, the atmosphere is good and the amiance is nice.

Q: I have consumed hundreds of beers from this place none have been less than stellar on quilaity. Half of the beer is properly stored in coolers with the rest on shelves but at room temp

S: Good, never had bad service, not even on the busiest day but they do become quickly overwhelmed which speaks volumes for the establishment. If you don't know, ask, they will answer. Just don't ask a dumb arse question about vintage Tequiza or a growler of Dos Equis to go.

S: Very good, they usually fget everything you want and more. Cases of Sucaba, Parabola sit on the floor begging to be hauled out. It is a beer destination!

No food here but some buts and those types of things. Glassware, beer schwag and kegs to go plus the counter pressure growlers are a nice bonus!

With a stout tasting coming up with some East Coast friends, I wanted to try to find something unusual I could bring back from the NW. After a less than satisfactory experience at the Metro and Tacoma Boys, we made the short drive over to Federal Way and 99 Bottles. I am very glad we did.

99 Bottles is located in a small shopping center, and from the outside looks like any other liquor store you'd find next to the barbershop and grocery store. However, once you walk in, you realize you've walked into something pretty special. The store is completely devoted to beer; craft beer and imports in particular. The left side and back walls consist of cold boxes loaded with craft beer and imports from all over, but then with stacks of 6 packs and bombers in large display areas in the middle back area of the store. The selection here is truly amazing, and I suspect represents pretty much everything that is brought into the area by local distributors. They had an excellent selection of RR sours, and their selection of DFH beers I saw on display would rival most stores on the East Coast. This is also a great place to find limited release beers from local NW breweries; my impression is that if a brewery makes something that is released into normal distribution, then you will find it here. Add to that a nice selection of glassware and various beer schwag, plus 5 or 6 beers on tap for growler fills, and you know you are in one high quality store.

Prices seemed reasonable (about the norm for the area), with growler prices in the $10 to $12 range. As for service, it's really difficult to gauge. There were just two people working on the Saturday afternoon I stopped by, with one employee manning the cash register and the other stocking beer. I assume they could probably answer most questions if you had any, but this is not the sort of store where you can expect to have employees coming up to you and asking if you need any help. At least that's the impression I had based on my one Saturday afternoon visit (hence my "average" service score).

No matter, the selection here is outstanding, and there's no doubt I'll be back again soon. On the day I was here there had to be at least 20 customers wandering around the store, most of them with looks on their faces that suggested they had somehow fallen asleep and woken up in beer heaven. I suspect the same look was on my face as well. This place is great.

This is hands down the best place in the South Sound to buy your beer. The selection is huge, always changing, and they are always quick to update their Facebook page to update customers on what's in stock. Beyond the great selection, the employees are always helpful and you can tell that these people love beer. The impression that they give is that they enjoy seeing people try great beer, and their Wednesday night beer tastings are a great example of that. Although I don't usually get growler fills, they have 10 drafts to choose from on a regular basis.

I have to be honest... I liked place way more than any place I went to buy beer in Portland. The people there not only interested in beer, but the satisfaction of their customers in a good experience. There were beers on the floor and an wall of coolers efficiently packed with bombers on the east side of this rather thin mall store. If you want something obscure, they try to get it here, as I picked up beers from breweries I never heard of and were relatively new. Not sure on their ability to get hard sought after beers but I did pick up a few releases by Midnight Sun.